Quick Steps Needed

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

President Joko Widodo (center) addresses journalists’ questions on Thursday (26/9/2019) following a meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, standing amidst a group of professionals who attended the meeting. In particular, he responded to questions regarding the possibility of a Perppu (government regulation in lieu of law) to annul the newly passed KPK Law.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Quick steps are needed to overcome the wave of demonstrations in a number of areas. The loss of life in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, and the existence of students who are in critical condition could develop into wild balls that are difficult to control.

Security forces must not act repressively in guarding demonstrations conducted by students and other community groups. At the same time, a comprehensive solution is also needed to answer a number of demands made in the demonstrations, such as the rejection of the results of the revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the KPK, which was approved at the DPR Plenary meeting to be ratified into law.

In connection with the results of the revision of the KPK Law, President Jokowi said he was considering issuing a Government Regulation in lieu of the KPK Law.

"Regarding the KPK Law, which has been ratified by the DPR, there has been a lot of input, mainly in the form of the issuance of Perppu. Of course, this (Perppu) will soon be counted, calculated and considered, especially in terms of politics," said the President, who was accompanied by academics, cultural figures, businesspeople and activists of civil society movements, at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (26/9/2019).

KOMPAS/AMBROSIUS HARTO

Two female students hold up a protest poster that reads, “The DPR has raped the Motherland. I’m sorry I stayed silent”, during the #SurabayaMenggugat mass demonstration on Thursday (26/9/2019) at the Tugu Pahlawan (Heroes Monument) in Surabaya, East Java. The students held the protest to coincide with the inauguration of the 2019-2024 legislators of the East Java Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD).

On Thursday, Jokowi invited academics, cultural figures, businesspeople and activists of civil society movements to provide input related to a number of issues, such as forest fires, the results of the revision of the KPK Law, and the Criminal Code bill (RKUHP). Before meeting them, Jokowi met with a number of clergymen and leaders of religious organizations. On Friday, Jokowi is scheduled to meet with student leaders from a number of universities.

Options

After the meeting, former chief justice of the Constitutional Court  Mahfud MD said the revised KPK Law had indeed been ratified through a valid constitutional procedure. However, the bill is still problematic, unsuitable or incompatible with the wishes of the general public.

According to Mahfud, there are three solutions the government can take to overcome this. First, conduct a legislative review or testing through the legislature. At this step, the government would propose a revision after the revised KPK Law is passed into law.

Second, conduct a material test of the new KPK Law with the Constitutional Court. Third, issue a Perppu. "What was just voiced strongly was issuing a Perppu so that it [the KPK Law] is postponed until there is a good atmosphere to discuss its content, its substance. And issuing the Perppu is better," said Mahfud.

Separately, a lecturer at the School of Law at Gadjah Mada University, Zainal Arifin Mochtar, said the issuance of the Perppu could show President Jokowi\'s support toward strengthening the KPK and combating corruption.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

The leaders of several religious organizations are seated at the iconic long table at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, during a meeting with President Joko Widodo on Thursday (26/9/2019). The President spoke on a number of current issues at the meeting, including Papua, the Sumatra and Kalimantan forest fires and the recent student demonstrations over the contentious Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law and the Draft Criminal Code Bill (RKUHP). The religious leaders who attended the meeting represented Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, the Bishops Council of Indonesia, the Indonesian Communion of Churches, the Indonesian Buddhist Intellectuals Association, the Indonesian Supreme Council for the Confucian Religion and the Indonesian Hindu Religious Council.

Appreciation

President Jokowi showed appreciation for the efforts of students in a number of regions that had been protesting for the past few days. However, he reminded them that demonstrations should be conducted in an orderly manner and without damaging public facilities.

The President will also contact and instruct National Police Chief Gen. (Pol) Tito Karnavian so that the demonstrations are escorted persuasively and not repressively.

This needs to be emphasized because a casualty has occurred in a demonstration held in Kendari. Randi, 22, a student at Halu Oleo University, died in the Emergency Room (UGD) of Dr. R Ismoyo Hospital, Kendari, not long after arriving at the hospital at 3:30 p.m.

"The victim suffered a wound in the upper right chest," said Commander of Korem 143 Halu Oleo military district command Col. (Inf) Yustinus Nono Yulianto.

Besides Randi, Yustinus added, there were four protesters who were taken to the hospital. A hospital doctor, Dr. Yudi Ashari, who handled Randi said, "If you see the condition of the wound, it was a gunshot wound, but  I don’t know whether it is live ammunition or rubber bullet. Everyone still has to wait for an autopsy.”

The rally in Kendari was held on Thursday at the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) building. The riots arose when the authorities tried to disperse students who forced their way to into the DPRD complex by using tear gas and bursts of water from a water cannon. Several vehicles at  the back of the DPRD complex caught fire.

KOMPAS/SUCIPTO

Thousands of students from West Kalimantan universities demonstrate at the West Kalimantan Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) on Thursday (25/9/2019), demanding that the recently approved revisions to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law and problematic articles in the Criminal Code revision bill be dropped.

Regarding Randi\'s death, the head of the public relations section at the South Sulawesi Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Harry Golden Hart, said the police would investigate the case and if there were police who committed violations they would be prosecuted. The police officers who safeguarded the demonstration in Kendari were also not armed with live ammunition or rubber bullets.

"Everyone is waiting for the results of the autopsy," said Harry, adding that the police had also talked to Randi\'s family to give an explanation.

Meanwhile, the family of Faisal Amir, a student of Al Azhar Indonesia University who was seriously injured while taking part in a demonstration at the Senayan legislative complex, Jakarta, is still considering whether to bring the case to justice or not.

Rahmat Ahadi, Faisal\'s older brother, said his brother\'s condition had improved after an operation. From the results of X-rays, Faisal suffered a fracture in the upper part of his head and broken right shoulder.

(NTA/JAL/CIP/DEA/AIN/NCA/IKI/EGI/JOL/DIT/NIK/ZAK/KOR/BRO/JUM/TAM/ESA/SYA/INA)

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

President Joko Widodo (seventh right) smiles during a discussion on Thursday (26/9/2019) with a group of professionals at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. The meeting covered current issues including Papua, the Sumatra and Kalimantan forest fires and the recent student demonstrations over the contentious Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law and the Draft Criminal Code Bill (RKUHP).